Inside and Out
by KingRadish
Summary: Au. Slight OOC. "Pinky promise?" Her voice was a soft mewl. "Pinky promise," he breathed. "It's forever, Luce."- Little did he know that the single vow he'd made so easily would be the bars that keep him from her heart, even though he's the one who knows her inside and out. Again and again they play this twisted game until both of them are too broken to pick up each other's pieces.
1. The Promise We Made

**Hallo! I'm still alive :) Once again, I started another story without updating anything else! Sorry**

 **This one is a bit less deep and dark and sad, and it's more about the complexities of a relationship than anything else, really. Hopefully it's alright! The chapters will be shorter than usual, but I've written this out till chapter 3 already so at least I'll update frequently for the next little while!**

 **-KingRadish**

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Inside and Out

1- The Promise We Made

" _Hey Natsu." They laid on their backs on Lucy's bed, her papers and writing utensils strewn about on pink bedsheets._

 _He turned his head slowly to look at her, onyx eyes groggy and clouded. They'd been at this exam prep for hours and he was getting sleepy. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a massive yawn. "Yaww?"_

 _She flipped over and scooted closer to him. "Y'know, I was thinking…"_

 _He rolled his eyes and stifled another yawn. "Oh no, not again."_

" _No, no, no, Natsu! This is serious."_

 _He seemed to perk up a little. "Okay, shoot."_

" _So, we've been friends for a long time… And you mean the world to me…" She hesitated and glanced at him for approval, only to find him staring intently at her with an expression she couldn't read. "Natsu?"_

 _He was silent for a moment before he answered, his voice abandoning the childish pitch he usually used with her. "Lucy."_

 _She crawled closer to him and poked his exposed stomach. "Why're you so serious! You're scaring me."_

 _He looked amazed for a split second, then the serious, older visage melted off his face as he growled and grabbed at Lucy. "I'm gonna getcha back for that!" He pushed himself off his back and lunged at her as Lucy scrambled away, laughing._

 _They rolled around for a bit, tickling each other until they were both in fits of uncontrollable giggles._

" _Natsu! Stooopp—"Lucy gasped as she tried to push him off of her. "You're heavy!"_

 _They both froze as the laughter died away, realizing the closeness of their bodies in the position. Her hair was spread over her pillow in a golden cloud, her face flushed and blood pounding. He towered over her, eyes glowing and breathing uneven._

 _A shadow passed over Natsu's face and he let himself fall onto Lucy's bed again. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Once again they laid side-by-side on her pink bed._

" _What were you saying again?" His tone was taunting. "That super serious thing."_

 _She bit her lip. "Never mind, it's stupid."_

" _C'mon, Luce." Suddenly he was so much closer, his whispers fluttering over her neck and sending goosebumps down her back. "Tell me."_

"… _Forever." She mumbled._

" _What?"_

" _I want you to be my best friend forever!"_

" _What, that's it?"_

 _She propped herself up again and stared at him defiantly, cheeks aflame. "That's it. Yes or no?"_

 _He laughed then, as he always did. "Of course, Luce! Aren't we already?"_

" _Yeah, but forever is a long time."_

" _Always, forever, same thing. I'm here when you need me. You'll always be my most important person."_

 _Her hand found his, her soft skin brushing over his callouses. He relaxed the spaces between his fingers invitingly and she interlaced her fingers with his. "Pinky promise?" Her voice was a soft mewl._

" _Pinky promise," he breathed. "It's forever, Luce."_

 _She nestled her body closer to his warmth. "I'll miss you next year, Natsu. I'll come back and visit every weekend."_

" _Ew, no. Every month is already too often to see you."_

 _She slapped his arm playfully. "I hate you."_

 _He laughed again and she felt the sound reverberate in his chest. They lapsed into comfortable silence at some point as Natsu thought about the future._

 _The future._

 _He turned his head slowly to look at his best friend, sleeping peacefully by his side. She was his world. In two weeks they would be graduating from high school, and Lucy the overachiever would be off to the prestigious Fairy University while he would be taking a year off to work. She would make new friends for sure, with her bright mind and her even brighter smile… and where would that leave him?_

 _With a trembling hand, he reached over and brushed away a strand of her hair from her face. She was his everything._

" _Hey Luce," he whispered, the words barely falling from his lips. She didn't stir and he sighed. "I love you."_

 _Closing his eyes, he let himself sink into the softness of her bed. He spent too many nights here, he knew, but he only dreamed when he slept surrounded by her scent. Sleep pulled him far from his consciousness and he fell into the comforting darkness without resistance._

 _Lucy listened for his snores before she opened her eyes again. Smiling wistfully, she took her hand from his and turned away._

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 **Please let me know how that was! I'll update again tomorrow or on Monday!**


	2. Whispers Over a Line

**Like I said, I updated again! Wow I'm so punctual and cool, right?**

 **From this chapter onwards, the characters exist in present tense. The last chapter was in italics because it's more or less a flashback. Lucy's gone off to university now! I hope the timing is clear!**

 **-KingRadish**

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Inside and Out

2- Whispers Over the Line

He grabs the vibrating device from his bedside table and wrestles his eyes open to look at the too-bright screen.

Lucy.

His finger moves on its own.

"What's up?"

"We broke up," she says, her voice flat.

Natsu takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

"I mean, it's not really a big deal," Lucy continues. "We were always falling apart."

He keeps his tone soft, because he knows this side of her. Too well. Too many times. She puts up a wall of glass-hard to the touch, but so easy to shatter.

"Luce?"

There's a small gulp on the other side, and when she speaks again, her words were whispered. "I love him, Natsu." He could feel her struggling, all alone, so far away from him. "I can't believe it's over. He said that… He said that he needed me. And then he found another girl and now I'm just…"

A soft sob came through the speaker of his phone and Natsu gripped it tighter in his hand. "It's okay, just let it out. Talk to me."

She hiccups and her ragged breathing becomes muffled. "Y'know, Natsu, I don't think he ever cared. Not really, at least. Like, he's always… Looking somewhere else. I don't remember the last time he looked me in the eye. And then when we go out, he doesn't even hold my hand…" Her voice is small, tiny, but her words were like needles in his heart. "He doesn't even try. And then whenever we're together, there's always something he's not happy about. Always arguing about some little thing, and it's like he's _trying_ to find something wrong with me!"

He nodded along, giving her encouraging feedback as she ranted. _He_ would always be here for her. _He_ would always listen, always see her for everything that she's worth; _he_ would always make her feel special. Unlike this douchebag who hurt her again and again and again; like all the other dumbass losers she's dated.

Part of him—not the part he was particularly proud of—was glad. She was finally done with this guy what's-his-face, and she was suffering. He hates it when she suffered, yes, and he would protect her happiness with his life, but honestly speaking, _she deserved it._ She deserved this.

He's always been here for her.

When they got off the phone, she had stopped crying. "Thanks Natsu! I feel better now," she said. "I'll get over it. Good night!"

He mumbled a few words of console and waited until she hung up. Sighing, he leans back onto the headboard of his bed, rubbing his temples.

 _He's always been here for her, so why wasn't he the one by her side?_

The alarm clock on his nightstand cheerfully displays the time in glowing red. _5:58 am._

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 **Again, a short chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to keep my chapters short and updates frequent! I'll probably post the next chapter tomorrow!**


	3. Take My Hand

**I'm on time again! Yay!**

 **This chapter doesn't do much in terms of plot (sorry) but I just really like writing the conversations between the friends! I... might have gotten a little carried away though, and this ended up being the entire chapter :(**

 **-KingRadish**

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Inside and Out  


3- Take My Hand

"Ew." Gray pulls a face. "You're primping."

Natsu shoots him a glance in the car mirror as he tries to flatten the one strand of hair that always stuck up. "The hell? Am NOT." He told Levy to cut it off but she'd insisted that it stay. _Part of your charm_ , she said.

"Uh, yeah you are. Look in the mirror, ya fool." The raven fumbles around in the glove compartment and pulls out a tube of hair gel. "Here, try this."

Natsu unscrews the cap and sniffs the contents. "It smells like you."

Gray rolls his eyes. "Yeah, no shit Sherlock. It's my hair gel. Smack some on that cowlick."

"Do girls actually like guys who smell like girls?"

Gray scoffs. After a moment of silence, he leans in. "It's not like Lucy hasn't seen your gross face and your ugly-ass hair before. What gives?"

"What?"

"This. What are you doing? When did you start caring about how you looked?"

Satisfied, Natsu flips up the car mirror and leans back into his seat. "I dunno, man. I don't know why she always dates those other guys. What do they have that I don't? Levy said that I smell like a trashcan and look like I crawled out of one. Not true, by the way. Well, I figured that it couldn't be _that_ hard to look like a pansy."

Gray almost chokes himself laughing. "Dude, you stupid? What you don't have is maturity! And brains. You're obviously lacking in those-"

"Hey guys! You seem to be getting along well!" Lucy pulls open the car door and tosses in her backpack.

"Lucy!" Gray smiles broadly. "We were just talking about how we couldn't wait to see you! How was the flight?"

"Ugh, don't get me started! The guy next to me was snoring like crazy! Can you pop the trunk for me? Gotta throw in this suitcase."

Natsu was already out the door and hauling Lucy's pink suitcase toward the back. "Hey, it's fine! I got it, Luce."

"Thanks bestie!" Lucy giggles as she hops into the back seat and leans forward. "Did Natsu just get a haircut?"

"Yeah. You noticed, huh?" Gray couldn't help but grin a little.

"Well, of course! He looks… a lot fresher. More mature?" She taps her chin thoughtfully. "And he doesn't smell like armpits anymore!"

"Ha! Well, you can tell him that. He did it especially to impress you."

Lucy looked up quickly, then averted her eyes. "Call me impressed." She mumbles.

"Yo guys! I'm done!" Natsu hops into the front and slams the door. "That was one hell of a heavy suitcase. What do you keep in there, Lucy? Rocks?"

"No, Natsu! Just my textbooks! I also brought a couple for Levy-chan." She glances sheepishly at Natsu. "Couple… dozen?"

"Oh, c'mon Luce! You're only back once a year. Just chillax a bit. Lay back. Drop the books for a while."

"Never! The journey of an architect is a long and arduous one! By the way, nice haircut. It looks good on you."

Natsu reached self-consciously upward to touch his hair. "Thanks, Luce. Thought I'd make it shorter for the summer."

Gray scoffed. "Only 'cause Lucy's visiting."

"What! No way! I mean, yeah, sort of. But not really." Natsu punches Gray in the arm. "Shut up, ya bastard."

"Hey! Careful! I'm driving here, stupid."

Lucy laughs. "You guys are cute as always! I missed you so much. It's really lonely at FTU. I mean, I've made good friends but they'll never be like you guys."

"Aw, I'm tearing up, Luce."

"Shush Natsu! You didn't miss me as much as I missed you."

"You have no idea," Natsu scoffs, letting a little too much bitterness seep into his words. There was an awkward pause. "Anyway, how's life, Luce?"

She sighs. "It's been alright. A little busy, but nothing too crazy. And… I guess it's been quiet since… y'know, Dan and I broke up."

Natsu grinds his molars together and looks away. Gray frowns. "Sorry to hear that."

"It's okay! I'm pretty much over it. Natsu consoled me for, like, three hours that night and I felt a lot better afterward. After that it was just a recovery process. And, I mean, it helps to get away from it all and come home."

"Yeah, good to take your mind off things and hang out with your best buds!" Gray pulls into the parking lot of 8-Island. "This is Councilman Yajima's new restaurant. Awesome reviews so far. And dinner's on me-"

"Yosh! Food!" Natsu was out the door as soon as the car stopped moving. "C'mon Luce! Let's go!" He grabs her hand in his excitement and drags her toward the restaurant entrance.

She looks up in surprise, then grips his hand tight as they run together through the parking lot. If anyone asks her why her eyes are watering, it'll be because of the dust, she decided. It's just the dust.

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 **Leave me a review if that was alright!**

 **The next update might be a while! Sorry... I'm lazy and it's summer vaycay. I probably need to update some of my other stories first!  
**


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